C. Wong says:

This book was a godsend. Nothing tasted right. This book helped find “tasty” alternatives and provided an understanding of how to cope.
Rating: 5 / 5

Amy Larocca says:

I am a speech pathologist in an acute rehabilitation hospital and I would greatly recommend this cookbook. I work with patients who have a variety of medical issues, but recently we’ve seen an increase the number of patients with brain tumors, or with a history of cancer. Because I work with the patient’s swallowing safety I often discuss their nutrition and eating habits. I had one patient in particular whose sense of smell and taste had been altered due to their chemo treatment a year prior and he had been losing weight steadily since then. I got in contact with a dietitian with the American Cancer Society who referred me to this book. I bought it immediately because I knew it answered many questions that I had been asked by patients in the past and it also gave such great suggestions for different side effects including decreased taste sensation. I showed this recipe book to that patient and his wife and made a copy of one of the recipes (The Blueberry-Peach Crisp) for them to try. The wife made it and brought it in for the patient the next day. His wife altered it as the book suggested with increased cinnamon and he was able to taste it and enjoyed it. The patient’s wife ordered this book that night.

On a more personal note, my father went through chemo and radiation and I have seen first hand how difficult it is for the patient and the caregiver to manage eating and maintaining nutrition while undergoing such a harsh treatment which takes away any natural want/yearn for food. I searched many resources at that time to attempt to help him, but nothing I found was organized in such a useful fashion as this cookbook. This book is organized into sections of suggested recipes for the various side effects that the patient may be experiencing including: nausea, diarrhea, constipation, soar mouth/swallowing deficits, taste alterations and unintentional weight loss. It also gives suggestions for dining out and a list of kitchen staples with a variety of foods to keep in your pantry to help prepare little snacks or full meals depending on the patient’s wants.

As you can tell, I can’t say enough about this book. It has been a great resource for me professionally and personally (My father now has a copy himself) and I definitely recommend it for people during treatment or for anyone continuing to deal with any of the symptoms after treatment. You will find not only the recipes helpful, but the added nutritional information and recommendations for aiding nutrition during/after treatment are priceless! This cookbook is truly fantastic!
Rating: 5 / 5